Improvement in earth-closets



@etant dimite.

HAMILTON SHERMAN, 0F WAVERLY, PENNSYLVANIA.

Leners Patent No. 108,396, daad october 1s, 1870,

-Mok- IMPROVEMENT IN EARTH-CLOSETS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters latent and making part of the same.

To all whom 'it may' concern:

Be it known that I, HAMLLTON SHERMAN, of YVavei-ly, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Im-v provement in Earth-Closets; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing forming part of this specitication.

This invention relates to new and useful improv- 1nentsin mode of discharging any earth or other deodorizing-material upon the deposits made in privics or commodes, and consists in a catching and tripping mechanism, actuated by the rising and the falling of the cover of the privy-hole, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawing- Figure l represents a vertical section of the arrangement on the line :c a: of tig. 2.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section of g. 1 on the line y y.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

'Ihis improvement is connected with a. privy-seat, A, which is made of wood, having an upright reservoir, B, for containing the deodorizing-inaterial.

C is the cover for the hole. rIhis cover is hinged to the seat, and is represented in the drawing in a vertical position.

D is the hole through the seat, represented by dotted lines in fig. 2.

E is a spout, which receives the earth from the reservoir, and delivers it onto the deposit for deodorizing and absorbing the gases evolved.

lhe spout is moved back on the stationary ways F F as the cover is raised, and is held or set in position while the person occupies the seat, by means of the arms G G, attached to the back edge of the cover, acting upon the inclined sliding and slotted bars H H. l

I I are bent levers, which are pivoted to the sides of A, as seen at J J, having Awrist-pins K at one end, for working in the slots of the bars H H.

Nhcn the arms are raised, the bars H are forced forward by the arms G, which throws the upper ends of the levers I I backward.

L L are rods, which are attached to the spouts E in any convenient manner, the forward ends of which take hold of the upper ends ofthe bentlevers, so that the eiect of raising the cover is to throw back the spout to the position seen in iig. 1.

M is a shaft, which is supported on its ends by brackets (or in any suitablemanner) from the sides of the seat.

N is an arm attached to the -sl1aft,rthe ends of which catch behind a lip, 0, which projects down from the back end of the spout, as seen in the drawing. The spout is held in this position by the arm N while the seat is occupied.

P is another arm attached to the shaft M, which is inclined forward, as seen partly in dotted lines in iig. 1, so that the gravity of this arm will give the shatta tendency to throw the other arm, N, upward.

The back end of the spout strikes the arm N, and forces it to nearlya horizontal position until it catches behind the lip O, as seen. 1

Then the cover is closed or starts downward, the projecting end of the arm G strikes the arm P, and turns the shaft until the arm Nslips from the lip O.

R represents a spiral spring for each of. the bent levers I I, one end of which springs is attached to the levers, as seen at S, and the other end to the sides of the seat. 'llie act of raising the cover distends these springs, and stores up power, which serves to give the spout a sudden forward jerk, when the catch-arm N' slips from the lip O. The earth or deodorzing-material (which falls by its own gravity into the spout) is, by this jerk, discharged onto the deposit, electually covering it, and absorbing the gases.

rlhe earth-closet is too well known to require any comment ou its Value here. My object is to simplify and cheapen the apparatus bywhich it is operated, by means of which its advantages maybe more Ygenerally secured. v

I do not confine myself to using the spout precisely eis-described. lt may be in the form of a plunger, for forcing the deodorizing-material from a short stationary tube or open box, the apparatus being otherwise substantially as shown and described.

Having thus described my invention,-

I claim as new and desire to` secure by Letters Patent- 'lhe mechanism consisting mainly of the arms G G, bars H H, rods L L, shaft M, (with the arms N and P,) lip O, and springs It, by means of which the spout E is made to discharge the earth or deodorizing-material by simply raising and lowering thecover O, substantially as described, and for the purposesset forth.

H. SHERMAN.: \Vitnesses:

M. W. BLISS, STERLING BEDFORD.

I y i).4 

